The Smith side of Elvis Presley's family tree has been a challenge to research for two reasons. First, the name Smith is so common that it is difficult to research genealogically. Secondly, many of the Smiths close to Elvis' mother, Gladys, moved to Memphis in the 1940's and 1950's.

However, we did discover the father of Obadiah Smith, the great, great grandfather of Elvis, living in South Carolina in 1850. Obadiah was living with his father and other siblings. His mother had died by 1850. The family later moved to Georgia and eventually migrated to Mississippi.

There seems to have been a trend of tragedy within the Obadiah Smith families. This may have begun with Obadiah's service in the Confederate Army during the War for Southern Independence. Many family members struggled economically. Many died young. Many of the gravesites within the Smith family are unmarked due to the family's inability to afford tombstones.

See the 1905 tombstone of Gladys Smith's infant sister, Effie and many other relatives in the Smith line buried at Andrews Chapel Cemetery.

Use the searchable database to determine if you are related to anyone in the tree.